This saddlebag is believed to have belonged to John Marshall. The bag is made of polychrome wool tapestry in a floral pattern with leather sides, bottom, and straps and a striped blue and white cotton lining. The materials used to make the bag have deteriorated over the years as a result of repeated use, as well as exposure to light, changing humidity, and pollution in the air. Utilitarian objects like this one were usually worn out and disposed of and rarely survive to be collected by museums. The survival of this fragile saddlebag provides us with a rare glimpse at the everyday life of John Marshall the man as opposed to John Marshall the Great Chief Justice.